In New Calculations, S’West PDP Loses National Secretary to S’East

•How Makinde, Fayose’s rivalry bungled opportunity

•Northern caucus takes position on national chair today

•Southern govs, others decide sharing of offices

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

In new calculations prompting a twist of fate in the battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the South West wing of the party, might have lost the office of the national secretary to the South East wing of the party.

This development is however believed to have been orchestrated by the rivalry and supremacy battle between the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde and a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

In the same vein, the northern caucus of the PDP will today, Tuesday, October 12, 2021,decide on the option to embrace as far as the national chairmanship of the party is concernedahead of its October 31 national convention. The meeting is expected to either adopt a consensus national chairman or allow all the aspirants to face the over 6000 delegates at the National convention.

Similarly, the southern PDP governors are also expected to resolve where all the officesconceded to the zone like the National Secretary, the National Publicity Secretary, Woman Leader, National Financial Secretary and the National Auditor would go.

But in a realignment of forces, the office of national secretary has been zoned to South East, while the South West is left with that of the National Publicity Secretary.

This, THISDAY gathered, was due to a emerging consensus among the PDP governors.

Particularly, THISDAY gathered that the divisions within the South West accounted for why the office of the national secretary had to be moved to the Southeast.

Source told THISDAY that the development was not unconnected to the power struggle between Makinde, Fayose and Ladi Adebutu, making the southern caucus leaders to look towards the Southeast for the national secretary.

The office of the deputy national chairman has been zoned to South-south, where the Vice National Chairman, Dan Orbih, might be upgraded as the deputy national chairman.

The Southern PDP governors meeting is expected to hold today in Benin, Edo State.

Meanwhile, as a result of the stalemate of last Thursday and Friday meeting of the northern PDP caucus, it will reconvene in the Bauchi State Government Lodge, Abuja.

Though PDP northern caucus and their five governors were still pushing for a consensus national chairman, some interests are already selling a former senate president, David Mark, even though Mark had said repeatedly that he was not interested and would rather be the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees.

Others within the north, who are interested in the national chairmanship of the party are a former President of the Senate, Iyorchia Ayu; a former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema; a former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; a former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Wada; a former governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; a former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana and a former governor of Niger State, Aliyu Babangida.

A source claimed that if the PDP must get it right in the 2023, it needed an experience politician that could weld the party together, and lead it to electoral victory in 2023.

“If this consensus option fails, which I think it will not, then, the consensus option will be thrown open for all aspirants to contest, but I doubt, if it will get to that.”

But while most of the North East and North West governors have been avoiding a candidate emerging from their zone, because of their interest in the presidency, the battle is largely in the North Central, where Governor Samuel Ortom, believed to have colluded with his southern colleagues, to push the chairmanship to north for personal concerns.

Ortom is believed to be the brain behind the candidacy of Ayu and was alleged to have been selling him to others in the region.

Unfortunately, for him, other governors were said to have resolved to oppose whoever he backs for any position in the region, principally for aligning with the southern governors to zone the chairmanship to the north.

With these developments, however, and with each of the zones asked to present a candidate, more people appeared to be coming out for the chairmanship from the North Central,because they were opposed to the Ayu candidacy.

From the North Central, it’s looking like Gana might eventually become the candidate. The belief is that since the earlier card being flown was that of Christians, Gana has beenprovided as the option.

From the zone, therefore, Benue might be where Ayu would have some support as his home state and because he was believed to have the support of Ortom.

Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa might also support Gana, while Kwara and Kogi were yet to decide as they were torn between supporting their son, Ibrahim Idris and Gana.

Key leaders from the zone like the BoT chair, Senator Walid Jubrin, Senator Jonah Jang, Gen. Jerry Useni and others felt they were not consulted before Ortom and others tried to impose Ayu from the North Central.

Thus, the Wednesday meeting might see Shema as North West candidate, Dankwambo as North East and Gana as North Central candidate.

Although the National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu, said in a statement that the purchase of forms for all categories of offices, would start Monday and both screening and appeal would come to an end by October 16.

As at press time, none of the aspirants was seen at the PDP National Secretariat to purchase the nomination forms, because the micro-zoning of offices was yet to be concluded and it was not clear yet the positions aspirants would seek.

But in the statement issued by the PDP, the sales of nomination and expression of interest forms for national officers would take place from October 11 to Friday October 15 2021, while the last date for submission for already purchased forms, both nomination and expression form to be be submitted to Directorate of Organisation and Mobilisation for processing and onward submission to the screening committee on Saturday October16.

The statement further said that the screening of all aspirants for national officers was slated for Monday October 18, while screening appeals was slated for October 21.

This is expected to be followed with the publication of names of cleared aspirants on Monday October 23, and later, a meeting of the National Working Committee, where adoption of delegate lists and publications would done on Monday October 25.

The national convention would be Saturday October 30 and October 31.